A rendering of Village Square at 36th and Haverford.

Redevelopment of a long-vacant site in the Mantua neighborhood, near 36th and Haverford, has received a green light from the city.

On Wednesday, Dec. 18, at 1 p.m., community members are invited to a celebration kicking off the redevelopment of the site. Mayor Jim Kenney, along with representatives from Lomax Real Estate, Mantua Civic Association, and Mt. Vernon Manor CDC, are also expected to recognize Councilwoman Blackwell’s service at the event, which will take place at West Philadelphia Community Center, 3535 Haverford Ave.

City Council passed legislation at its year-end meeting last week clearing the way for the project that put the finishing touches on the sale of the city land for a reported $1 million to a consortium of developers headed by Philadelphian Charles Lomax. Construction is expected to begin in spring 2020. Continue Reading

The neighborhood group fighting a proposed apartment building on a piece of land tucked away down a narrow alley near 51st and Spruce will hold a public meeting on Monday, Oct. 21 that will include City Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell, who is sponsoring legislation to rezone the parcel.

Developers Callahan Ward want to build a 33-unit building with ground floor commercial at 303 S. 51st St., where a defunct auto body shop sits in the middle of the block, surrounded by the backyards of several adjacent properties. The only access to the property is via a small alley. Callahan Ward can build the building “by right,” meaning they don’t need community approval.  Continue Reading

The City Council rules committee will hold a public hearing tomorrow (Wednesday, Oct. 16) on an ordinance that will change the zoning designations on a handful of properties, including a controversial parcel near 51st and Spruce where a developer wants to build a 33-unit apartment complex.

The ordinance (PDF) would change that property – 303 S. 51st St. – from a CMX-2 zoning designation, which allows apartment buildings and ground-floor commercial, to RSA3. An RSA3 designation would require builders of anything but a single family home to acquire a variance from the city, which requires community input.  Continue Reading

Jamie Gauthier

Political newcomer Jamie Gauthier pulled off the biggest upset in Tuesday’s primary election, handily defeating longtime incumbent Jannie Blackwell in the City Council 3rd District race. The win appears to end the 45-year reign of the Blackwell family in the district, which has undergone massive demographic changes in recent years.

Gauthier garnered about 56 percent of the approximately 25,000 votes cast and with no Republican candidate in Tuesday’s primary, the win almost assures her victory in the November general election.  Continue Reading

Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell has scheduled another community meeting about the future of the former Provident Insurance Co. building at 46th and Market. The previous meeting discussing the proposed sale of the property to local developer Iron Stone Real Estate Partners took place last month, after which Blackwell halted a vote on the sale in City Council. The previous community meeting called for more transparency in the sale process.

The meeting will take place on Tuesday, Jan. 29, from 6 – 8 p.m. at West Philadelphia High School (49th and Chestnut).

The Walnut Hill Community Association also held a community meeting about the proposed development of the property earlier this month. Read more about it here.

West Philadelphia residents are invited  to discuss the proposed development of the former Provident Mutual Life Insurance campus at 46th and Market this Tuesday, Dec. 10, at West Philadelphia High School (49th and Chestnut). The meeting has been organized by Councilwoman Jannie Blackwell, who has expressed her concern over the way the City, which owns the 15-acre property at 4601 Market, is handling the campus’s sale and proposed development.

Iron Stone was named as a future developer of the building a few months ago after a selection process that took approximately a year. The Philadelphia-based real estate company is planning to transform the building and the surrounding land into a public health campus.  Continue Reading